GALASHIELS Community Council has come to the aid of the Braw Lads’ Gathering, with a £500 pledge towards new bunting for the town’s annual celebrations.
The donation goes a long way to paying for the £800 total cost of the black and white decorations which will hang across roads during the last week of June.
Kenneth Windram, vice-chairman of the council, said: “It is nice to see the bunting across the town and the community council should support more things like this in Galashiels.”
THRILL-SEEKING OAPs have been caught shoplifting in Galashiels.
PC Bob Millar told the town’s community council that in March officers arrested a number of elderly people for the crime, normally associated with younger culprits.
He added: “It seems to be for the thrill rather than absent-mindedness.”
PC Millar said that 72 crimes had been reported in the town centre during last month, with 55 incidents solved.
Reported crime for the year so far was down from 830 in 2011 to 531.
He added that Langlee had seen 144 incidents this year, of which 84 had been solved, also down on the figures for the corresponding months of 2011.
Meanwhile, PC John Lennon has been nominated for Lothian and Borders Community Officer of the Year.
The Galashiels-based policeman is expected to discover whether he has won the title later this month.
CAMPAIGNERS opposing a wind farm near Hermitage Castle have been granted a stay of execution, writes Sally Gillespie.
Renewables developer Infinis, which hopes to put up 20 turbines at Windy Edge, announced it is putting the project on hold for six months. The company cites the moratorium on wind farm planning permission – turbines can affect the Eskdalemuir seismic monitoring station’s work – as the reason for the halt.
A limit – already reached – was set on the number of wind farms that could be erected within a 50km radius of the station. There are ongoing discussions and investigations by the Ministry of Defence, Scottish Government and others on the issue.
In a letter to the Windy Edge Wind Farm Community Liaison Group, Infinis spokesperson Matt Chapman said: “Unresolved issues related to the Eskdalemuir monitoring station and RAF Spadeadam mean that if a planning application was submitted now, it would be unsuccessful. Any further work on the Windy Edge project will now be scaled back until further resolution and clarity is gained on these outstanding issues.”
He told TheSouthern: “Infinis have identified a really good site which has great potential, but until there is more clarity they are holding off.
“They will be maintaining bird surveys and meteorological monitoring masts but keeping everything else suspended.”
He was unable to say how much the company had invested in the site for the 125-metre-high turbines on Braidlie and Sundhope farms.
Hermitage Action Group (HAG) chairman Malcolm McGregor welcomed the news.
He said: “The community is glad there is some sort of breathing space and we hope the Eskdalemuir seismic monitoring site will continue to be a problem. The area is the wrong location for a wind farm. Hermitage Valley is an outstandingly beautiful valley with one of the most important medieval castles in Scotland, and we think the proposal is entirely inappropriate to this locality.”
He criticised Infinis communication with locals.
“It’s nearly a year since we first learned of the proposal. The company has still not made any effort to communicate with the actual residents in the vicinity of the proposed windfarm. It’s very disappointing.”
Mr Chapman denied criticism saying one of the three representatives from the local community council on the community liaison group represented Hermitage specifically.
He said in his letter the company did not expect to be in touch with the liaison group for another six months adding: “It is impossible to predict the timescale for resolution to the defence-related issues, but when a solution is reached we will be undertaking a comprehensive community consultation prior to the site design being finalised.”
Mr McGregor said: “Even though there seems to be this apparent six-month breathing space, we will continue to marshal our forces and try to gain as much support against the proposals and any future application as we can.”
HAG was formed last August and now numbers nearly 40 local campaigners as well as supporters further afield including broadcaster Eric Robson and writer David Elliot, said Mr McGregor.
Clan author, Mr Elliot is donating £5 of every £7.99 copy of his book ordered through the action group to HAG, and he has started an online petition (www.ipetitions.com/petition/hermitagecastle/).
An anonymous donation of £2,000 paid for a report on the significance of Hermitage Castle by Stirling University professor of medieval and environmental history, Richard Oram which HAG has sent it to Historic Scotland and Scottish Borders Council’s archaeological officer, Dr Chris Bowles
A programme of HAG fundraising in next six to nine months starts with a concert in Hermitage Hall on May 1. For more information contact Mr McGregor at malcolm.rmcgregor@btinternet.com
A PROBE will be launched into why it took Scottish Borders Council’s social work department eight months to determine whether a brain-damaged Hawick man should be provided with a ramp outside his home.
In the event, council officials decided that Les Nichol, who suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), was not eligible for funding.
But the delay over a bid which, if approved, would have allowed him to come and go on a mobility scooter, has left him, on his own admission, “a prisoner in my own home”.
“I haven’t been to Hawick High Street under my own steam since last year’s common riding,” said Mr Nichol, 59, who lives in a Waverley Housing flat in The Loan at the west end of the town.
His case was taken up last year by Steven Turnbull, chairman of the brain injury charity Heads Together.
“Not only has Les been stuck in his house for the best part of a year, but he has fallen into a depression, which is hardly surprising, after being told six weeks ago by two social work staff – a team leader and an occupational therapist – that his funding bid has been refused,” said Mr Turnbull. As a result of two bouts of pneumonia, Mr Nichol, in addition to a previously sustained brain injury, suffers from COPD which means he is out of breath after walking less than 10 paces.
“Our charity helped Les prepare a funding bid from SBC’s social work department because of his circumstances,” explained Mr Turnbull. “Until recently, we had no reason to suppose he would not get the ramp to cover two steps which are on communal ground, owned by the Scottish Borders Housing Association, leading from his flat to the steep main road.
“There are a further three steps right outside his front door which he must negotiate, but he was also looking for funding to erect a small shed in which he could keep his mobility scooter. He would then be able to negotiate the two stairs and get out into the street.
“Last year, we combined with another brain injury charity, the Act Foundation, to purchase the vehicle and, three times, his council occupational therapist did not turn up when she was due to take him to check out the scooter at a shop in Selkirk. Now we know why, and it’s a sad fact that, today, that scooter is still in the shop.
“I contacted the council on numerous occasions during this so-called review period and was unable to pin them down. Eventually came the news that he was not eligible, which I find incredible given his severe disability. I can only conclude this decision is about saving money, not serving the best interests of a disabled service user, which is sickening.”
After news of the rejection was conveyed to a distraught Mr Nichol, Mr Turnbull contacted a number of local businesses in Hawick to see if they would be prepared to step into the breach.
“I am delighted to say that local builder Paul Kendall, surveyor Peter Ferguson, builders merchants Jewsons and Telfer the Blacksmith are all prepared to give their services free of charge to carry out this simple piece of work, estimated to cost around £1,500, which will completely transform the life of Mr Nichol.
“I believe the system, in the shape of the social work department, has really let him down and I hate to think how many other deserving cases are being sidelined or stalled because council staff are either too busy or have been instructed not the spend money.”
A council spokesperson responded: “The council can advise that this is a very complex case where a full assessment has been undertaken which involved seeking advice and clarification from a range of housing providers and agencies.
“When completed, the outcome of the assessment did not meet the social work department’s critical or substantial eligibility criteria for installation of a ramp.
“In these circumstances, we will always try to advise about other solutions as appropriate in line with the person’s needs and situation.
“A complaint into the delay and the assessment process has been received and we will fully review this in line with our complaints procedure.”
Mr Turnbull said he hoped Mr Nichol’s case would, indeed, by properly investigated.
“So far, all that social work has given him is a manually operated wheelchair which is absolutely useless given the two sets of stairs and the fact that The Loan is one of the steepest streets in Hawick. Mr Nichol lives on his own and would need someone to push the chair. That is why the ramp and storage shed are so important.”
A planning application from Mr Nichol, seeking permission for the ramp and the erection of the shed for the scooter, has been submitted to SBC on his behalf by Mr Ferguson. The bid, still to be determined, has elicited no objections.
If the event you want to go to is sold out, Paula Ogilvie co-ordinator of the Brewin Dolphin Borders Book Festival says, it may be possible to buy returns or go on a waiting list. Enquiry at the box office
“Early indications are that, since the programme was launched last week, ticket sales are at record levels,” said Mrs Ogilvie.
The sessions with Sir David Frost and Bremner, Wark and Naughtie are already sold out.
How to book
Online: www.bordersbookfestival.org
By email to boxoffice@bordersbookfestival.org
By telephone on 0844 357 1060 (Monday-Friday 10am -5pm).
By post to Borders Book Festival, Harmony House, St Mary’s Road, Melrose, TD6 9LJ
In person at the box office marquee June 14-17, 10am-9.15pm.
The Knight Frank Schools Gala Day on Friday, June 15, will offer more that 1,500 nursery and primary school pupils access to authors and their work during the Borders Book Festival.
This years programme includes Vivian French, Kristine Stephenson, Philip Ardagh, Kjartan Poskitt, Joanathan Meres and Elizabeth Laird as well as free Historic Scotland activities at Melrose Abbey.
Mrs Ogilvie said application forms had been sent to all primary schools and nurseries and she is urging teachers wishing to book a session for their pupils to do so as soon as possible when they return from the Easter holidays.
Thursday, June 14
6pm: Mark Beaumont, FM, £13 (£11 concessions)
6.15pm: Liz Lochhead. SBBM, £9 (£7)
6.15pm: Dr John Reid, Lochcarron Marquee, £9 (£7)
7.30pm: Prue Leith, FM, £13 (£9)
7.45pm: Charles Glass with Rory Bremner, SBBM, £9 (£7); Katriona MacEwan, LM, £9 (£7); James Naughtie, FM, £13 (£11)
9.15pm: Iain Banks, SBBM, £9 (£7).
Friday, June 15
4.45pm: Simon Watt, SBBM, £9 (£7)
6pm: William Boyd, FM, £13 (£11)
6.15pm: Frank Close and Peter Higgs, SBBM, £9 (£7)
7.30pm: Sir David Frost with Rory Bremner, FM, £13 (£11)
7.45pm: James Holland, SBBM, £9 (£7)
9pm: Jeremy Vine, FM, £13 (£11)
9.15pm: Richard Holloway, SBBM, £9 (£7).
Saturday, June 16
1.30pm: Sir Walter Scott Prize, FM, £13 (£11)
3pm: Britain’s Best Historical Fiction, FM, £13 (£11)
4.30pm: Melrose Mastermind hosted by Sally Magnusson, FM, £13 (£11); Jennie Erdal (pictured), DCST, £9 (£7)
4.45pm: Jeremy Wade, SBBM, £9 (£7); 4.45pm: Borders Writers’ Forum, LM, £9 (£7)
6pm: Hilary Mantel, FM, £13 (£11)
hosted by Sally Magnusson, FM, £13 (£11); Jennie Erdal, Davidson Chalmers Storytelling Tent, £9 (£7)
4.45pm: Jeremy Wade, SBBM, £9 (£7); 4.45pm: Borders Writers’ Forum, LM, £9 (£7)
6pm: Hilary Mantel, FM, £13 (£11)
6.15pm: Kathy Lette, SBBM, £9 (£7); Tom Pow, DCST, £9 (£7)
7.30pm: Ian Rankin, FM, £13 (£11)
7.45: Andrew Miller, SBBM, £9 (£7)
9pm: Rory Bremner, Kirsty Wark and James Naughtie, FM, £13 (£11)
9.15pm: Chris Bookmyre, SBBM, £9 (£7).
Sunday, June 17
3pm: Tam Dalyell, FM, £13 (£11)
3.30pm: Vivien French: an introduction to writing for children, DCST, £5
4.30pm: Andy McNab, FM, £13 (£11)
4.45pm: Isla Blair, SBBM, £9 (£7); Exciting new voices in fiction, LM, £9 (£7)
6pm: Alastair Darling, FM, £13 (£11)
6.15pm: Patrick Gale, SBBM, £9 (£7); Allan Massie, LM, £9 (£7)
7.30pm: The Jewel in the Crown with Art Malik and Susan Wooldridge, FM, £13 (£11)
7.45pm: Ed Smith with Rory Bremner, SBBM, £9 (£7)
9pm: John Sessions, FM, £13 (£11).
Saturday, June 16
10.45am – Sir Charlie Stinky Socks with Kristina Stevenson, age 4-8, £5, SBBM.
11am – Write On! Writing competition awards, age 9 plus, free, LM
12noon – Dr Death and the Evil Medicine Show with Simon Watt, age 8-108, £5, FM
12.15pm – The Buttons Family Vivian French, age 3-7, £5, SBBM.
1.15pm and 2.15pm – Bookbug Rhyme Session, babies and under 35s, free, DCST.
1.45pm – Howlers, Blunders and Random Mistakery with Philip Ardagh, age 8-12, £5, SBBM.
1.45pm – Crafty Carvings Workshop, all ages, £3, LM.
3.15pm – Agatha Parrot with Kjartan Poskitt, age 6-10, £5, SBBM.
3.15pm – Walker Books Picture Book Picnic with Vivian French, age 3-6, £5, LM.
3.15pm – Storytime, all ages, free, DCST.
Sunday, June 17
12noon – Mercy Grinder and Fiddleduster Squint - Who Next? with Vivian French, age 8 plus, £5, FM.
12.15pm – Ping! with Chae Strathie, age 3-7, £5, SBBM.
12.15pm – Crafty Carvings Workshop, all ages, £3, LM.
1pm – Storytime, all ages, free, CDST.
1.30pm – Horrid Henry with Francesca Simon, families and age 6 plus, £5, FM.
1.45pm – Can You Write? with Eleanor Updale, age 8 plus, £5, SBBM.
2.15pm – Storytime, all ages, free, DCST.
3.15pm – The 13th Horseman with Barry Hutchison, age 9 plus, £5, SBBM.
3.15pm – Paper Pirates Workshop with Lucy Roscoe, age 6-10, £5, LM.
THE 2012 Brewin Dolphin Borders Book Festival is being touted as the biggest and best literary event ever to be staged in the region with Sir David Frost, John Sessions, Ian Rankin, William Boyd and Rory Bremner just a few of the headliners set for Melrose from June 14-17.
Another strand of the Harmony House event, aimed at younger readers, will also showcase immense talent in the hugely competitive and diverse genre of children’s literature.
The Family Book Festival (FBF) began in 2007 in a bid to widen the appeal and extend the inclusivity of its bigger brother, which had taken its first tentative steps three years earlier.
“On our first outing, we booked Michael Morpurgo and Julia Donaldson to talk about their prolific works and their shows went down a storm, not only with the children, but also with the mums and dads,” said children’s programme director Paula Ogilvie.
“Since then, Michael has become a household name with his book War Horse becoming a stage hit and, last year, a silver screen sensation with the movie directed by Steven Spielberg, while the popularity of Julia’s most fabulous creation, the Gruffalo, shows no sign of abating.
“In the same way our Family Book Festival has really taken off and we expect several of our shows to sell out, so early booking is strongly advised.”
The FBF will take place on Saturday and Sunday, June 16 and 17, with the last show starting at 3.15pm each day. One standout feature will be Francesca Simon, creator of everyone’s favourite naughty boy, Horrid Henry.
On Sunday at 1.30pm, the British/American author will talk about the success of a series which has now sold more than 12million copies in the 24 countries in which it has been published.
Francesca will describe Horrid Henry’s weird world, including his nemesis Moody Margaret and his annoyingly angelic little brother Perfect Peter. The audience at the show, aimed at kids aged six and over, and their families, will also be introduced the 21st book in the series – Horrid Henry’s Monster Movie – and have the chance to hear Francesca read an even newer story.
The Where’s Wally? series of picture books, created by British illustrator Martin Handford, has become an international phenomenon which this year celebrates its 25th birthday.
Readers are invited, amidst a range of characters in detailed double page spread illustrations, to find Wally – with his distinctive red and white striped shirt, bobble hat and glasses – and the franchise has spawned a television series and video games.
A real-life Wally will be at the festival though visitors must remember that he will wave and smile, but he does not speak!
Cardboard Wallys will be hidden throughout the garden with lots of prizes for those who find them and there will be puzzles and activity sheets for the young searchers to take home.
Another literary smash with younger readers is the time-travelling Dr Death who will, courtesy of his creator and alter ego Simon Watt, bring his fascinating Medi-Evil Medicine Show to the festival on the Saturday.
Described as a “a scientifically accurate panto for children and other generally childish people”, the show will take the audience on a comic journey of medicine through the ages, reminding us that some of the treatments could be worse than the illnesses.
Watt, presenter of Channel 4’s award-winning Inside Nature’s Giants and The Elephant: Life After Death, will tell stories of mad mistakes, evil experiments, drugs, dissections, body snatching and even murder.
Festival patron, prolific children’s author and supreme communicator Vivian French is returning with a treat for those aged three to seven – her entertaining introduction to the Buttons Family. Vivian will also lead a Picture Book Picnic and, on the Sunday, talk about her magnificently evil new characters Mercy Grinder and Fiddleduster Squint.
Another coup for the FBF is hilarious and legendary fact-finder Philip Ardagh who will enthuse about his Book of Howlers, Blunders and Random Mistakery.
In 2005, Ardagh collaborated on Sir Paul McCartney’s first children’s book, High in the Clouds. At Melrose, he will explain how the Pope got confused with a potato, how the footballer ate the referee’s notebook and why it is a bad idea to have your name and date of birth tattooed on your neck.
Not only have prices for the FBF been pegged, with even the most prestigious event costing no more than a fiver, but organisers are again offering a special family day pass for nearly all of the keynote events. The pass costs £25 for two adults and up to three children per day.
PUBLIC loo provision in Galashiels has been panned – by the British Toilet Association, writes Kenny Paterson.
A female committee member of the national organisation, which campaigns for better public facilities, contacted community council chairman Bill White after reading TheSouthern’s online story last month on the state of the public park’s toilets.
The building has been shut for nearly three years but has been left to decay, with Scottish Borders Council promising to pull down the eyesore this summer.
However, there are no plans to replace it, meaning none of the town’s green spaces have operating public toilets on site.
And the BTA official said the lack of loos could adversely affect tourism.
Mr White said: “A woman from the Irritable Bowel Syndrome Network emailed me after reading the public park toilets story and said it was important when one of its members was visiting an area that there were toilets.
“I told her I fully agreed with her comments and she replied that she was also on the management committee of the British Toilet Association and that there was a National Loo of the Year competition which proved very popular with enlightened councils who realise it encourages tourists to visit.
“If I was a grandfather with a dodgy prostate and was looking after my grandchild, where would you take them (in Galashiels)? I would go to McDonald’s instead of Scott Park.
“We should be encouraging people to go to parks and they should have toilets.”
SBC councillor John Mitchell added: “We have gone backwards rather than forward with our toilet provision in the Borders.”
And Galashiels community council member Andrew McQueen said: “Lots of school kids will be using the public park for sports in the coming weeks, where do they go when they need the toilet?”
An SBC spokesman said the public park toilets would be removed in the next few month as soon as the power supply has been disconnected from the network.
He added: “There are no plans at the moment to replace or increase the number of facilities in any areas due to current financial constraints.
“However the council is committed to maintaining current facilities by ensuring they are managed effectively and efficiently.”
A GALASHIELS teenager is facing a lengthy prison sentence after being convicted of sexually assaulting a young girl and a 15-year-old boy.
Jordan Pearson, 17, was found guilty of attacking the pair over a four-and-a-half-year period following a four-day trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.
The court heard that Pearson started abusing the girl in May 2006, when she was just nine years old. He repeatedly performed a series of sex acts on the child at various addresses in the Galashiels area.
He then started to take advantage of the boy in June 2009, when the victim was 12 years old. Pearson also performed similar sex acts on him.
Pearson was only caught when his female victim plucked up enough courage to tell her family about what she had to endure.
Pearson – who is known by his nickname Peanut – was convicted on three charges of sexual assault by a unanimous jury verdict.
During the trial, the court heard how both Pearson’s victims had been left severely traumatised as a consequence of what happened to them. The two youngsters cannot be named for legal reasons.
The schoolgirl told prosecution lawyer Alison Di Rollo that she was targeted by Pearson at various addresses in the Galashiels area.
The girl told the court: “I was upset and scared. He just said to me ‘don’t tell anybody’.
“He used to make me feel angry. I used to argue with my mum. Before it happened, I was happy. But my mood changed. I wasn’t happy anymore.”
The abuse continued until November 2010, when she told a friend about what was happening to her.
Her friend told the girl to tell her family about what was going on. She then told her stunned sister and police got involved.
Meanwhile, Pearson was also abusing a boy at another address in Galashiels area – the abuse began before the youngster’s 13th birthday.
He told the court that he didn’t like what Pearson was doing to him.
The jury returned their verdict on Pearson shortly after midday last Thursday.
Judge Lady Clark of Calton deferred sentence until next month so that she can obtain reports about Pearson’s character.
Advocate Depute Ms Di Rollo handed the judge’s clerk statements from Pearson’s victims about the impact that the assaults have had on their lives.
The judge also continued Pearson’s bail on the condition that he does not approach his victims and stays in his house between 6pm and 6am each day.
But she also warned him to expect to be sent to prison when he appears in court, next month.
Placing him on the Sex Offenders Register, she said: “Be in no doubt that the offences that you have been convicted of are very serious.
“It looks likely that a custodial term – one that will be very lengthy – will be imposed upon you. I will defer sentence for reports.”
Concerns were raised this week that the fitting of automatic opening and locking devices on the region’s public conveniences will lead to job losses, writes Andrew Keddie.
But Scottish Borders Council, which admitted this week that the cost of new electronic equipment was more than £21,000, defended the move, claiming it would improve the efficiency of its environmental services department.
The local authority also asserted that “no jobs are under threat”.
The issue was raised at Monday’s meeting of Selkirk Community Council by Gordon Edgar, a former technical services portfolio holder with SBC and an Independent candidate for the Selkirkshire ward at the local government elections next month.
“A squad of contractors is fitting these devices at great expense,” said Mr Edgar. “The devices are timeset and open automatically in the morning and close automatically when the last customer leaves.
“I came upon workers from Borders firms carrying out the work at Selkirk’s unmanned toilets in Scott’s Place last week and they told me they were also fitting them in Hawick and Galashiels.
“I have never heard anything about this and our community council has not been informed, although I fear it may have serious implications for our town.”
Mr Edgar said that, two years ago, toilet attendants were given different job descriptions and the clearing of litter became part of their duties.
“This was a welcome move which has greatly enhanced the appearance of our towns, but with their toilet responsibilities being removed I fear this will lead to these staff losing their jobs,” said Mr Edgar.
“In other areas which have these devices, the locks often don’t work and doors can be jammed open with cigarette packets. I suspect this idea, driven by cost-cutting, has not been thought through and could end up costing the Council Tax payer more money, not less.”
On Monday, Councillor Carolyn Riddell-Carre (Con, Selkirkshire) reminded Mr Edgar that SBC had a policy of no compulsory redundancies. “Instead of sitting in these facilities, staff are now out making our towns more attractive which is a huge improvement,” she added.
An SBC spokesperson told TheSouthern: “The council is committed to no compulsory redundancies, so no jobs are under threat. As a public body we are also committed to continuous improvement within our services and this is one area where this can be done utilising technology.
“By reducing the number of staff and vehicle movements, we are improving the efficiency of the service and are reducing our fuel consumption and carbon footprint.”
The spokesperson confirmed that the cost of the new locking equipment which included new door closers, locks, nightlatches and electronic locking mechanisms was £21,049.
Councillor Len Wyse (Con, Jedburgh), executive member for environmental services, told us: “The public has a right to expect that we are delivering services efficiently and offering value for money, and the previous situation of staff having to travel many miles just to open and close facilities in rural locations is a poor use of staff resources.
“As a result of the new technology, these valued employees will be free to carry out more litter pick-ups, not less ... and I can assure your readers that the toilets will still be cleaned on a daily basis.”
Mr Wyse did, however, offer some advice to users of the region’s toilets. “If you are the last one in there before the toilets are due to close, try not to leave personal effects, such as wallets, inside as you won’t be able to get back in until the follow day.”
TWO years ago, Melrose Sevens hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons when an alcohol-fuelled gang fight involving youths from Galashiels and Kelso terrified townsfolk and visitors.
The violent fracas, involving around a dozen thugs, took place in High Street in the late afternoon and ended up with a police officer who tried to break up the altercation receiving hospital treatment for a head injury.
Since then, agencies in the Borders, including the police, Scottish Borders Council and the Alcohol and Drug Partnership of NHS Borders have been working closely together to highlight and combat incidents of violence and antisocial behaviour which have excessive consumption of alcohol at their roots.
And on the eve of the 122nd Melrose tournament, which is expected to attract a crowd of 12,000 to the Greenyards on Saturday, they have joined forces to issue a public appeal under the heading: “Getting drunk is not a pre-requisite of having a good time”.
Although the message is ostensibly aimed at Borderers attending all sevens tournaments along with local common ridings and festivals, its timing would suggest a special plea for moderation ahead of the region’s largest single sporting event at the home of the abbreviated game.
“While the partner organisations want people to enjoy these annual events and have a good time, they are encouraging them to drink responsibly and consider the effects of drinking too much,” said a statement from the multi-agency group. “Excessive drinking impacts on the individual and on communities and a combination of interventions are required to reduce alcohol-related harm overall. House fires, violent incidents, drinking and driving, antisocial behaviour and underperformance at work are often linked to people who drink too much.
“The Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 has undergone an overhaul of licensing arrangements and for the first time licensees are required to ensure they have a responsibility to consider the health of the population under the objective ‘protecting and improving public health’ specifically within any planning arrangements for events.
“Communities will be provided with information on how to drink more responsibly through posters which will be displayed within licensed premises during these events. Information on the risks of ‘legal highs’ and access to further supporting information on how to stay safe, will also be available.”
Paul Richardson from the Safer Communities Partnership at SBC told us: “Getting drunk should not be a pre-requisite to having a good time. We are tackling drug and alcohol problems at a local level involving the statutory, voluntary and private sectors, and engaging in the wider community. This is part of the Scottish Government’s Alcohol Strategy.”
Nicola Sturgeon MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, said: “Everyone by now is aware that bold action is needed to tackle Scotland’s unhealthy relationship with alcohol. The impact of our consumption is estimated to cost Scots £3.56billion each year. That’s £900 for every adult.” Dr Eric Baijal, Joint Director of Public Health, added: “It is hard to understand how when we are celebrating the health and fitness of our local rugby players there is such a tendency to be irresponsible with alcohol.
“I urge the community to drink responsibly to ensure their immediate health and help improve their well-being in the future.”
And a spokesperson for Melrose RFC said: “The club is pleased to support the campaign for responsible drinking. The success of the Melrose Sevens relies in part on the goodwill and understanding of the local community and it’s important to us that our community remains safe.
“We hope that everyone enjoys this year’s tournament in a responsible way.”
NEWTOWN St Boswells residents have the chance to meet candidates standing for election to Scottish Border Council next month.
The six local hopefuls will be talking about what they stand for and what their priorities are in the informal session at the Newtown Community Wing (the old school) at 7pm on Tuesday, April 17. There will also be an opportunity to ask the candidates questions.
ONE of NHS Borders’ most senior board members is to retire, writes Kenny Paterson.
Dr Ross Cameron steps down in June from his role as medical director, after nine years in the post.
The Glasgow University graduate has played a prominent part in the Margaret Kerr Unit Appeal, which is £600,000 away from securing the £4.5million needed for the new Borders General Hospital specialist palliative care facility.
Dr Cameron started his career in general practice in Hawick in 1983, and worked in the town as GP principal until 2003.
During that time he served on the area medical, GP sub and Local medical committees.
Dr Cameron was also chair of the Borders Local Health Care Co-operatives from 1999 to 2002, and after a year as acting medical director with the Borders Primary Care Trust, took on the role at NHS Borders on a permanent basis in 2003.
NHS Borders is advertising for Dr Cameron’s replacement, witha salary of £89,000 to £100,000.
The new medical director is expected to be named next month.
ALL new vehicles in Scottish Borders Council’s extensive fleet are to be fitted with black box video recorders, writes Andrew Keddie.
TheSouthern can reveal that the devices, which contain a 1.3 mega pixel high definition camera and have an internal microphone for audio recording, have been the subject of trials for the past six months and are currently installed in 15 vehicles.
An assurance has been given this week that the data picked up by the Roadhawk DC-1 vehicle drive recorder will be primarily used to provide evidence if and when the council faces hostile insurance claims and litigation, and not to spy on council staff or members of the public.
News of the deployment of the high-tech kit came after TheSouthern received a tip-off that the devices had been fitted to 40 vehicles and that the council planned to use them on its entire fleet, including school buses and social work cars.
The source, who wished to remain anonymous, said the video footage and sound recordings gathered on a secure digital (SD) card raised security questions and could “easily be copied by anyone with access”.
It was also claimed the police would have open access to this data and that even people walking past a vehicle could have their conversations recorded.
The source alleged that the deployment of the devices was “to protect council staff from the public”.
But John Martin, SBC’s fleet manager, said: “I can confirm SBC is installing Roadhawk camera systems in all new vehicles, but it is actually for accident recording and insurance purposes.
“We currently have 15 fitted to vehicles after six months of trials. The installation of these units, which cost around £166 each, has the full support of our insurance company”.
Mr Martin referred us to the Roadhawk website which revealed the camera on the DC-1 was fitted with a 3D sensor which measured G-force and could detect an accident impact.
In the event of a collision, harsh braking or acceleration, the DC-1 would save a 20 second video clip (10 seconds before and 10 seconds after the event). The SD data storage card could hold over 200 such “events”.
The website also screens a video of a lorry, fitted with a forward facing DC-I, before and after it collided with a car, coming the wrong way up a feeder road, on the A9. As a result of the video evidence, the driver of the lorry, which overturned, was absolved of any blame.
“We have been impressed with the performance of the Roadhawk and its contribution to our accident reduction scheme, providing visual support to back up our driver accident reports,” said Mr Martin. “The Roadhawk DC-1 system can also record audio, but this is limited to inside the vehicle cabin and we have opted to remove this option.
“Further installations will be undertaken, but only on new vehicles at this time, along with other devices, such as speed and engine rev limiters which will return an average of 20 per cent fuel savings and make an added contribution to safer driving.”
Councillor Len Wyse, executive member for environmental services, said there were no sinister implications.
“This is about the council being a responsible employer and ensuring the Council Tax payer does not have to foot the bill for bogus insurance claims,” said Mr Wyse.
FORMER Kelso lecturer Margaret Skea is hoping that an ancient Ayrshire vendetta could prove the catalyst for a new career as a full-time novelist.
Last year, her debut novel, The Turn of the Tide – set during the Ulster plantation period – scooped the top spot in the historical fiction section of the prestigious Harper Collins/Alan Titchmarsh People’s Novelist Competition 2011.
Although pipped at the final post for the main prize of a guaranteed publishing contract, Margaret is now hoping her novel will still be published and it is currently under consideration by an agent.
The Turn of the Tide garnered glowing plaudits from such high- profile judges as Jeffrey Archer and Penny Smith, with bestseller author Lord Archer describing the quality of Margaret’s writing and her research as “outstanding”.
It was while growing up in Bangor in Northern Ireland, that Margaret kindled her lifelong passion for books and reading.
So keen was she, in fact, that she made use of the unwanted library tickets her family were entitled to, plus her own, to take out 15 books every week from the local library.
“I started alphabetically, so I took out 15 books from the A section and if I found one I liked, I would then read everything in the library by that particular author,” Margaret told us.
“Eventually I’d move on and repeat the exercise in the B category and so on, right through to the Z section when I was in secondary school.”
Margaret devoured everything she could get her hands on when it came to books and when her older sister started at university, Margaret, by then in junior year of secondary school, started reading big sister’s university texts as well.
Although a native of Ulster, Margaret has lived in Scotland for the past 25 years, working as a lecturer in English and communication studies, as well as tutoring adult creative writing classes. The remainder of her time has been spent between the emergency fostering of children, running a bed-and-breakfast, church-related voluntary work and writing.
Her first writing successes came in short story competitions and other work has been published in magazines and anthologies in Britain and the United States.
Her aim now is to become a full-time professional writer and she’s hoping that The Turn of the Tide, will provide her stepping stone to that longed-for writing career.
“I’ve always loved reading, ever since I was little,” Margaret explained. “And I’ve always scribbled. When I was at school it was mostly poetry. Then, somehow, and I don’t quite know why, I moved sideways into short stories as an adult. The first successes I had were with short stories.”
When Margaret won a short story competition for Women & Home magazine, which was for unpublished writers, she was introduced to a literary editor in London who advised her to go home and write a novel.
“I thought ‘I can’t do that’. My comfort zone was 3,000 words,” said Margaret. “So I came home and kept doing short stories for quite a number of years.
“I got some more published, won some more competitions, but never quite had the courage to try a novel.”
That all changed about three years ago, when, according to Margaret, various circumstances conspired to give her more free time.
“And at the same time, kids we’d been fostering for quite a long time moved on. So, rather than looking for another job, I decided now was the time to have a go at writing the novel that I should really have started some years earlier.”
All the short stories Margaret had written up until that point had been contemporary fiction – but not so her novel.
“I don’t know why, but I decided I was going to write a historical novel. It is a period of history I am quite familiar with because I did a PhD in linguistics in the dim and distant past and part of the research for that was the Ulster plantation period.”
The plantation of Ulster began in the 17th century when English and Scottish Protestants were settled on land confiscated from the Gaelic Irish.
“And while I was actually researching that period I found a little footnote in some family papers about a feud, called the Ayrshire Vendetta, which ran from about 1440 until about 1625, when it was finally healed between the families involved,” said Margaret.
“One of those Ayrshire families became one of the major planter families in County Down, which is why I was looking at them. I just kind of got fascinated by that particular vendetta and that particular family.”
Margaret then wrote a 70,000-word manuscript. But when discussing it with someone else, they made what she called the “radical suggestion” that instead of having the main historical character and his family at the centre of the story, Margaret would probably find it quite liberating if she took one of her other very minor characters, who at that stage only featured for about two pages – around 300 words out of 70,000 – and write it from that person’s viewpoint.
“So I took my 70,000 words and reduced them to 3,000 words within a week and started again basically. Although I kept the background of the vendetta and some of the main key points within that, it is now around 80 per cent fiction and I am much happier with that.”
The book took more than three years to write, but the finished product could almost be considered as Margaret’s second novel as she had already finished it once before rewriting it.
“Essentially the novel is about living within conflict situations. Yes, it’s very firmly 16th century, but so many people around the world are living in conflict situations with the same dilemmas and difficult choices. Do you go for truth, justice, or what is expedient in terms of keeping your family safe?
“I guess because I grew up in Ulster through the Troubles, conflict is not new to me and I kind of tapped into my memories of what it was like living in a conflict zone. And I think that has as much resonance for now as it did for then.”
A REQUEST to move recycling facilities at a Galashiels landfill site has been thrown out, writes Kenny Paterson.
Scottish Public Services Ombudsman Jim Martin refused to uphold the complaint that aggregate recycling activities at the site off the C77 Langshaw road should have planning consent.
The case was originally brought against the council by Coopersknowe and Easter Langlee Residents’ Association, whose homes are nearby, because of the noise and disturbance caused by recycling at the site.
However, it was an un-named individual, called Mr C in the report, who launched the complaint with the ombudsman.
SBC claimed in 2008 its recycling activities did not require planning permission, as consent was granted in 1985.
Mr Martin said: “However, Mr C refuted this and said AR (aggregate recycling activities) was being carried out on land that under previous planning consents should be maintained as agricultural land for animal grazing purposes.
“He said that the AR was a commercial activity, unrelated to household materials and composting activities, and that planning consent should have been sought.
“He acknowledged that efforts had been (and continued to be) made to minimise the disturbance and nuisance caused by AR, but he said these did not address the key complaint and he wished the AR activity moved.”
Mr C also complained that SBC had delayed responses to his queries and had not established the facts as appropriate under its complaints procedure.
However, Mr Martin said the 26 years since the council obtained planning permission, and the loss of part of a file, made it difficult to support Mr C’s view.
He added: “We found evidence that the council had addressed Mr C’s concerns about AR – although we acknowledge, not to his satisfaction. We considered that the council exercised professional judgement in this matter and relied on the 1985 consent as being applicable to current AR activities. There is no documented evidence that the AR activities required planning consent and/or that the council overlooked or ignored this issue.
“Subsequently, there is no evidence that the council failed to ensure that the AR activities had planning consent.”
But Mr Martin did recommend SBC regularise permission for the landfill site to ensure it covers all activity with appropriate planning conditions.
A CLIMATE change officer has denied connecting his home into a disused pipe under an historic Peeblesshire churchyard, amid claims sewage has been discovered in the cemetery.
Gareth Phillips, who lives at Kirkurd House near Blyth Bridge, spoke out after a group of locals said a pipe is leaking discharge and causing a public health issue at Kirkurd Church.
But Scottish Borders Council says it does not know who is responsible for the drainage under the disused church’s graveyard, which it manages, but does not own.
Speaking to TheSouthern this week from Singapore, where he works with energy firm Sindicatum Sustainable Resources, Mr Phillips said: “I can categorically state that neither I nor anyone acting under my instruction has altered in any way the route of the tail drain (not sewage pipe) which runs from our septic tank, or connected into a disused system in 2008 or in any other year.
“The drainage system currently in place is the system purchased with the property in 2007.”
Mr Phillips believes the tail drain has been capped at a site opposite the cemetery and could have caused the sewage problem.
He added a contractor instructed by SBC had fixed a small leak at a pipe joint last year.
He told us: “My wife and I have been actively pursuing this through our solicitors, with Scottish Borders Council and SEPA since I was made aware of the capping of the pipe and will continue to do so until the matter is satisfactorily resolved.
“As I am currently overseas I have not observed the occurrence of sewage on the surface of the cemetery.
“This is clearly a serious matter which must be addressed and I will work with the Scottish Borders Council, SEPA and my solicitors to identify the cause of the problem and take action as appropriate.”
Problems began soon after Mr Phillips bought Kirkurd House from the Lord Lieutenant of Tweeddale, David Younger, in 2007.
Neighbour Celia Pattle claims the septic tank and soakaway for overflow were in place at the house when the Phillips’s moved in, and that alterations Mr Phillips has made have meant sewage has been directed into her septic tank, causing problems at the churchyard.
She is now looking for SBC to step in to fix the situation.
She added: “It has all been very, very slow (from SBC) concerning a very serious matter.
“SEPA told me in April 2009 that it had no jurisdiction with sewage going to land, only to water. That means the responsibility lies with the council.
“Sewage should not be going into the hallowed ground of a graveyard.
“The council say they don’t know how the sewage is getting in or who owns the pipes, yet they previously paid £300 out of council taxpayers money to repair the pipe under the graveyard.
“I see a lot of elderly people visit the graveyard and kids playing there and I just think ‘This land is contaminated, it is dangerous’.”
Mrs Pattle received a letter in December saying no burials would take place within 10 metres of the sewage pipe, however, Louise Hurley’s parents’ graves are already in that zone.
And her plans to scatter her brother’s ashes in the 18th-century cemetery are on hold while the stench and safety fears remain.
She told us: “There were tests in August but nothing was done. With the weather getting worse the rain brought up the sewage to the top of the ground.
“I want to scatter my brother’s ashes there. He lived in the village and was part of the community but I have no intention of doing so while the sewage is present.”
An SBC spokesman said it was yet to decide its next course of action as it awaited confirmation of the presence of sewage from test results completed last month, but he added they were not aware of any pipe leak.
The spokesman told TheSouthern: “The council has previously considered allegations in respect of drainage serving Kirkurd House and has concluded, based on available evidence, that there is no case to pursue. There is no visible evidence of a soakaway having ever been installed.
“It is the view of the council that the pipework passes through the graveyard and remains connected to the originally installed sewage system.”
Peeblesshire councillor Willie Archibald said the council had looked into enforcement orders to resolve the pipe ownership argument.
He added: “If it is a public health issue, the council has to fix it.
“If raw sewage is being discharged in the churchyard that is unacceptable and anyone the council see as responsible can be made to pay for the upkeep.
“The problem is other people have wayleaves and rights across the churchyard which are enshrined in their title. It is a legal minefield.
“We are not going to get anywhere by people trading insults and I would say to anyone who feels aggrieved, they should contact a member of Lamancha, Newlands and Kirkurd Community Council and it can be put on the agenda at the next meeting this month.
“The community council can also ask for officers from Scottish Borders Council to attend.”
A FORMER well-being officer at Scottish Borders Council claims work-related stress is at “pandemic proportions” within the Newtown-based local authority.
And Gordon Branston, from Ettrickbridge, claims he was sacked for expressing frustration that the issue was not being tackled and that staff concerns were dealt with in a retributive rather than restorative way.
The 47-year-old alleges that, within days of starting work on January 10 last year in the well-being and safety department – under the aegis of human resources – he received data which indicated that 47 per cent of signed-off employees were suffering from work-related stress. “By any standards, that is a pandemic and one I now believe directly relates to a culture of bullying and intimidation,” he told us this week.
Mr Branston said he was moved to contact TheSouthern after recent revelations about sickness absences at SBC.
The council’s scrutiny panel was told at its February meeting that in 2011, the average number of days’ absence for non-teaching staff stood at 11.6 – 1.8 days more than the Scottish council average.
The councillors heard that anxiety, stress and depression accounted for 23 per cent of long-term absences.
Scrutiny made several recommendations, including a review of the current policy of staff being in breach of contract for sharing concerns with councillors and a reminder to all line managers of their responsibilities in terms of contacting employees who are off sick.
Although these were dismissed by SBC’s executive, an intervention by leader David Parker ensured the recommendations were endorsed at the final meeting of the council last month.
Mr Branston claimed the proportion of work-related stress absences reported to scrutiny did not tally with the much higher figures he had gleaned when he was charged, on his first day in the job, to carry out a well-being audit.
The Glasgow-born graduate and dad of two was brought up in South Africa and, for 12 years, worked in the post-apartheid local, provincial and national governments of that country, focusing on community health leadership and social upliftment programmes.
“The ethos of reconciliation, underpinned by a spirit of openness and the affirmation of others, will always be with me and I wanted to bring that experience to my job at Newtown,” said Mr Branston.
But he claimed that when, just five weeks into the £25,000-a-year job, he urged his managers that dealing with work-related stress should be at the core of, rather than a bolt-on to, the council’s well-being policies, he was “shouted down” by one of them. “It was a very traumatic and humiliating experience,” he recalled.
Ironically, Mr Branston was then himself signed off, his GP diagnosing work-related stress.
On March 22 last year he returned to Newtown for an investigative hearing, the transcript of which, he claims, was later “hugely redacted”.
A hearing was set up for May 10 which, on the advice of his doctor, Mr Branston could not attend and, the following day, he received confirmation he had been dismissed “on the grounds there has been an irretrievable breakdown in the working relationship between you and your managers”.
He was told that no record of the hearing had been kept and, despite an internal appeal, the decision was upheld.
“I do not want to go through an employment tribunal process because I have no wish to work again for this organisation, but I do want new councillors to know what they are taking on and the insidious culture which is making the lives of so many staff a misery,” said Mr Branston.
A spokesperson for SBC said yesterday: “We have no comment”.